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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:

  • That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
  • We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
  • On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.

By learning about Ansel (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.

As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Ansel. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Ansel is located in Rio Grande County.

To see how the shape of Colorado's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Rio Grande County: Alamosa, Archuleta, Conejos, Mineral & Saguache.

Below are the counties that are near Ansel. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Ansel:

  • Rio Grande County     (The home county of Ansel)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ansel, with the one closest to Ansel listed first.
    • Center
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Center
      • Center is located in Rio Grande County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,385 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Center <1>
    • Homelake
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Homelake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homelake
      • Homelake is located in Rio Grande County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Homelake <1>
    • Monte Vista
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monte Vista have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monte Vista
      • Monte Vista is located in Rio Grande County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,067 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Monte Vista <1>
    • Del Norte
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Agua Ramon
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Agua Ramon
      • Agua Ramon is located in Rio Grande County
    • Gerrard
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gerrard
      • Gerrard is located in Rio Grande County
    • South Fork
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Fork have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Fork
      • South Fork is located in Rio Grande County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 425 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for South Fork <1>
  • Alamosa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ansel, with the one closest to Ansel listed first.
    • Hooper
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Parma
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parma have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parma
      • Parma is located in Alamosa County
    • Mosca
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mosca have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mosca
      • Mosca is located in Alamosa County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mosca <1>
    • Waverly
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waverly
      • Waverly is located in Alamosa County
    • Alamosa
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Alamosa East
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Alamosa East. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alamosa East
      • Alamosa East is located in Alamosa County
    • Henry
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henry
      • Henry is located in Alamosa County
  • Conejos County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ansel, with the one closest to Ansel listed first.
    • Capulin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Capulin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capulin
      • Capulin is located in Conejos County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Capulin <1>
    • La Jara
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Saguache County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ansel, with the one closest to Ansel listed first.
    • Moffat
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Saguache
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saguache have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saguache
      • Saguache is located in Saguache County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 531 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saguache <1>
    • Liberty ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
      • Liberty is located in Saguache County
    • Crestone
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Duncan ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duncan
      • Duncan is located in Saguache County

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Ansel, see our County-by-County Page for Ansel.

Newspapers Published in Ansel ...

An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.

Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 67 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ansel.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ansel, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ansel.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Ansel:

Cemeteries Near Ansel ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ansel.

This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Ansel covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Ansel, with the one closest to Ansel listed first.

  • Speiser Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Speiser Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Speiser Cemetery
  • Valdeses Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Valdeses Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Valdeses Cemetery
  • San Luis Valley Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the San Luis Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the San Luis Valley Cemetery
  • Lariat Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • The Lariat Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Workers Union Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lariat Cemetery
  • Monte Vista Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Del Norte Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Del Norte Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Del Norte Cemetery
  • Rock Creek Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rock Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rock Creek Cemetery
  • De la Luz Cemetery
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the De la Luz Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the De la Luz Cemetery
  • Hillside Cemetery
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hillside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillside Cemetery
  • Campo Santo Cemetery
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Campo Santo Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Campo Santo Cemetery
  • Capulin Cemetery
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Capulin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Capulin Cemetery
  • St. Joseph Cemetery
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Joseph Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Joseph Cemetery
  • Continue List   (5 more) ...
    • La Jara Cemetery
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the La Jara Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the La Jara Cemetery
    • Pioneer Urraca Cemetery
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pioneer Urraca Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pioneer Urraca Cemetery

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<6>

While we didn't find Ansel in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Ansel.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Ansel, with the one closest to Ansel listed first.

  • Monte Vista
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monte Vista have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monte Vista
    • Monte Vista is located in Rio Grande County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,067 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Monte Vista <1>
  • Parma
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parma have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parma
    • Parma is located in Alamosa County
  • Hooper
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • La Garita
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for La Garita have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Garita
    • La Garita is located in Saguache County
  • Del Norte
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Moffat
    (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
  • Saguache
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saguache have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saguache
    • Saguache is located in Saguache County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 531 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saguache <1>
  • Jasper ‑ Historic
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jasper have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jasper
    • Jasper is located in Rio Grande County
  • Capulin
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Capulin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capulin
    • Capulin is located in Conejos County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Capulin <1>
  • Crestone
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • South Fork
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Fork have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Fork
    • South Fork is located in Rio Grande County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 425 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for South Fork <1>

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Ansel. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ansel.

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Ansel. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Rio Grande County: www.riograndecounty.org/

The official website for State of Colorado: https://www.colorado.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Ansel) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ansel. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.7031, Longitude: -106.1025       In this case, the coordinates for Ansel have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<6>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Ansel, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024